Will and Lyra: The Romance You Want to Read About
by BrassInPocket
Summary: Told from both points of view, Lyra finds a way back into Will's world after 12 years, only to find he is engaged.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Most of these characters are Philip Pullmans and all of them revolve around his story.

Chapter 1 

It was Midsummer's Day at 11:45. Will was driving like a madman through traffic to get to the park bench to meet Lyra. He had been working on his project about Dark Matter and Dr. Malone had been helping him out. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten.

He decided to give up and just wait the traffic out. It would give him some time to think. He had last seen Lyra 12 years ago. She would be 25. He tried to imagine what she would look like, but he just couldn't. He pictured her as a more mature 13 year old, though he was sure she probably changed in many ways that he couldn't even imagine.

Then, Will decided to think about Olivia. She had befriended him 10 years ago, when she saw him sitting on the bench on Midsummer's Day alone. They had been best friends since the day they met, and had dated for 6 years. He wasn't in love with her. How could he be when he was in love with Lyra? But, he was in serious like with her. She had been pressuring marriage, and he and Lyra had agreed to marry other people. They had a date tonight, at a very romantic restaurant and Will had bought a ring. He was going to propose to her.

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Lyra sat on the bench waiting for Will. It was 12:05 so he must have been running late. She started to think. It had been 12 years since she last saw Will, but she was still very much in love with him. Oh, she had dated boys over the years, but she never asked them out, they always asked her out. She couldn't say no to their pleading eyes. She also had a 5-date limit. Anymore than that and she thought she might forget Will.

All of a sudden, a presence stopped her thoughts. She concentrated very hard, and managed to feel Will. Oh at last, her Will was there!

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Will sat on the bench, trying to convey to Lyra that he was going to propose tonight. He thought it in his head, over and over, but he could tell she wasn't getting it. Oh well, he thought. May as well just sit here and enjoy Lyra.

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Will was eating his shrimp and caviar, not looking at Olivia, and not thinking of Lyra. It was very difficult. All of a sudden, she stopped talking. "Will? Are you listening to me?"

"What? Oh ummm…sorry dear, I was just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Doing this." He bended on one knee, held out the ring and said,

"Olivia will you marry me?"

She didn't say anything for a moment. Then she said, "Of course," and gave him a big kiss.

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Lyra lay in her bed at Jordan College and thought about Will. He had seemed a little nervous today when they had their annual meeting. She wondered why. Maybe he was missing something very important so he could meet her. He would probably get in very big trouble and when asked why he missed the important thing, he would say, "I had a meeting with love." That made her smile.

Suddenly, she saw something outside of her window. This confused her, because her window was in a tower 4 stories up. She went over to the window, looked out, and saw Serafina Pekkala.

She opened the window and called, "Serafina!" Serafina flew over and crawled through the window.

"I have very exciting news little one."

"What?" Lyra asked, still surprised to see her. She hadn't seen her in over a year.

"I found a way for you to meet Will!" Serafina said. Lyra's jaw dropped open.

"How? When? Can we leave now?"

"Hop on my broom with me and I'll explain as we get there." Lyra clamored through the window after Serafina and waited patiently (something hard for her to do) for Serafina to explain. "Well, I was talking to a queen of another clan the other day and she said that while finding Lord Asriel, she flew with angels. The angels flew way up high in the sky, and passed through worlds without a window. All the worlds are connected, if you fly up high enough. We can fly to Will."

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Lyra got to Will's world at around 3:00. She went to the lab where Mary Malone had worked, and got information from them about the private lab Mary now worked in. She decided to head there, and see if Mary knew anything about Will.

When she arrived, she knocked on the door. Some strange man answered the door and asked her who she was. "I am Lyra Silvertongue and I need to speak to Dr. Malone about Will." The man looked at her curiously for a moment, her long dirty blonde hair and determined chin, and decided not to make it hard for her.

"Follow me," the man said, and she did. She followed him down 2 flights of stairs and through many twisty corridors until she was standing at a door that said Dark Shadows Lab.

She went in and Dr. Malone turned around, startled. "Who is this James? And did I not ask you to please come talk to me before you let people in?"

"Well, yes, but this woman knows about Will."

Dr. Malone looked frightened. "Who are you?"

Lyra looked at her and then stated, "Why, I'm Lyra."

"Ly-Lyra?" Dr. Malone choked. "How'd you get here?"

"Serafina Pekkala, the witch, flew me here, over the worlds. It took 3 days. Do you know where Will lives?"

"Ummm…yes I do. He lived with me until about a year ago and now he lives on his own. He wasn't supposed to be living with me, and that's why I was so surprised you knew about my connection with Will."

"Why didn't he live with his mother?"

"Oh sweetie…His mother was kidnapped and murdered a little after Will got back. She was tortured for information. Try not to bring up this subject with Will, okay?

Lyra sat there, stunned. A tear ran down her cheek. She knew how much Will cared about his mother. "It must have been awful for him to live through."

"It was." They sat, silent for a moment, until Dr. Malone said, "Lyra, I know you're probably anxious to see Will. He lives a couple of blocks from here, on Cherry Avenue in a big apartment complex."

"Apartments?"

" Apartments look like one big, giant house, except the house is split up into many rooms where people live. He's apartment 1H."

"Okay. Well, I'm sure I'll find it. It was good seeing you. I'll visit." She gave Mary a hug, and then left.

Will was in his apartment, making dinner. Olivia was going to come over as soon as she got out from work. He was making omelets. He suddenly remembered the first day he had met Lyra. He had made them both omelets and beans. A tear ran down his eye. He heard a knock on the door. Olivia must be early he thought. He went to open the door and there stood Lyra. Will opened the door. "Lyra?" he asked.

"Oh Will, I've missed you so much. The witch Serafina Pekkala brought me here. She can fly us back whenever we want her to and we can stay together!" She threw her arms around him and squeezed him as hard as she could.

Will croaked, "Lyra, I can hardly breathe."

"Oh, sorry. I haven't seen you in so long and I mean look at you. You're probably over 6 feet! The last time I saw you, I was taller than you!"

"I'm not the only one who's changed. Lyra you're probably over 5'5''. You have really long legs. And your hair is longer."

"I'm 5'8''. Do you like my hair long?"

"Yes, it looks wonderful. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I'm famished. What do you have? Any beans?

Will laughed. "No, I have something better. Omelet's."

"YUM!" Lyra screamed.

"Lyra, where's Pan?"

"Oh he's right…well, he was in my coat pocket. Hold on. I think he's with Kirjava, wherever she is."

"Here, come in the kitchen. There's the omelet's and there's…Kirjava and Pan."

"Lyra sit down at the table. I'll serve the omelet's." It was a struggle for Will to remain under control. He just wanted to grab Lyra and kiss her all over.

They ate quickly, and after they were done, Will could resist no longer. He grabbed Lyra and began to kiss her. She kissed back. She was a lot sexier than he remembered and was very, very beautiful. She looked like a fashion model. Will was about to take her top off when Olivia walked through the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Most of these characters are Philip Pullman's and all of them revolve around his story.

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Will stopped kissing her. She looked at him, and saw that he was staring at someone else. A woman. She was very pretty, with long dark hair and pale skin. She was also probably much cleaner than Lyra. This woman reminded her of a brunette Mrs. Coulter and Lyra decided she didn't like her.

The woman was now staring at her. Lyra stuck out her hand and said, "Hello, I'm Lyra. Who are you?" She thought maybe this woman was a maid or something, and she desperately wanted her to leave.

The woman turned to Will. He didn't say anything, so she hissed, "Well? Any explanations to why you are with that, that, slut?"

She turned to stalk off, but Will grabbed her hand. "Olivia, don't leave like this. We need to talk. Let me explain."

"I think you have explained enough. The wedding is off. I'll come and get my stuff from the apartment tomorrow. Make sure you're out. I don't know why you asked me to marry you if you were going to be cheating on me even before we were married!"

Olivia grabbed her coat, glared at Lyra, and then left, slamming the door behind her.

Lyra stared at Will. She was very, very hurt. In her world, men who were going to be married didn't kiss other women unless they were very, very bad men. She didn't know what slut meant, but it sounded like it was the same situation in this world.

"Will, ummm, we agreed that if we met other people, we would date than and maybe marry them and act like nothing had happened. I mean, I never did, but it seems as if you have. You must love her very, very much more than me, since you've known her a while, and me only for a short time. All I can say is I am very, very hurt, and I think I need some alone time. I'm going to Mary's. I'll talk to you when I'm ready. Also, you should go try and save your wedding."

"Lyra, I don't want to save the wedding, I want to marry you. Olivia is my very best friend, and I only agreed to marry her because I thought there was no way we'd ever see each other again."

Lyra sniffled, then turned and walked out of the door.

--------------

Will had really screwed things up. He had let his desire for Lyra take over his head, and he had so much desire for her, he didn't think very smart when he let that happen. Now Olivia and Lyra were mad at him. He didn't care about Olivia canceling the wedding, but he still wanted to be her friend. But, at the moment, it was Lyra he was concerned about.

He decided to call Mary. She would know what to do, and as Lyra was coming to visit her she would explain everything to her and make it all right. He grabbed the phone and started dialing her number.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Most of these characters are Philip Pullmans and all of them revolve around his story.

Mary was not answering her phone. Will listened intently as it continued to ring, praying for Mary to pick up. After the 11th ring, he gave up, dejectedly putting the phone back into its cradle.

He knew that Lyra needed some time to cool down. If the situation had been reversed, he would be infuriated even more by explanations, because no explanation would be adequate. However, he was worried about where Lyra would go if Mary was not home. He flashbacked to her almost getting run over by a car the last time she was in his world, and made the decision to intercept her at Mary's.

-----------------

Lyra wasn't focusing on the streets or where she was going. The previous scene with Will (and his fiancée, she was reminded painfully) kept playing over and over in her head. She eventually realized that she was lost, and was too embarrassed to ask for directions while crying with red blotches all over her face. She turned into a little alleyway, and sat down next to a trash can, waiting for her tears to stop.

She did not want to be crying, but she couldn't help it. Every time she managed to stop crying for a little bit and focus on something pleasant, the image of Olivia would resurface, and fresh tears would pour down her face.

Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder. Pan immediately jumped to attention, baring his teeth at the intruder. The man ignored him. He asked Lyra, "Are you okay?"

Lyra brought her sleeve to her face, trying to wipe away her glistening snot. The man was dressed all in blue, and had a gun in his belt. She feebly nodded her head, and managed to say, "Please go away," before a fresh batch of tears started down her face. She brought her knees in closer to her, and buried her face in them.

The man's voice sounded even more concerned, as he asked what had happened. "Was anything stolen from you? I can file a report for you, and give you a ride to the station if you'd like."

Lyra kept her head in her lap as she said, "I'm fine, really, just please go away."

The man squeezed her shoulder, and continued talking to her. "You know, you don't have to file a report, but I strongly encourage it. I know it will be difficult to talk about, but think about doing it for the sake of preventing this same thing to happen again, to another woman."

Lyra looked up at him. "Whatever you think happened to me, it didn't." She got up, and started to walk away from the man, not bothering to brush the dirt off of the seat of her pants.

The man ran after her. Exasperated, he said, "At least let me give you a ride!"

Lyra stopped, turned her head, and stared at him, considering. He stared back, and didn't flinch at the scrutiny. After some moments, she managed to stop sniffling long enough to say, "Okay."

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Will anxiously walked up and down Mary's porch, waiting for Lyra to arrive. Was it possible she had decided to go somewhere other than Mary's? Will racked his brain, trying to think of anywhere else Lyra might decide to go. Maybe the bench? It was worth a try. His mind made up, he ran to his car and began the drive to the garden.

The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself of Lyra being at the bench. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? Lyra was so strong, and probably wouldn't want Mary to see her crying. She would know the bench would be quiet and deserted, and she would be able to gather her thoughts.

It now seemed imperative for him to find Lyra as soon as possible. When he reached the garden, he jumped out of his car, and began running to the bench.

She was there. Her head was in her lap, and she was crying, and Will ran up behind her, feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted. He shouted as he ran, "I'm so glad I found you!"

Lyra lifted her head, and Will realized it wasn't Lyra. It was Olivia.

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Lyra was trapped. There were no handles on the inside of the door, and bars separated the backseat where she was at and the front. The man got into the front seat, strapped himself in, and asked her where she wanted to go.

Lyra was beginning to think this was a bad idea. She was trapped in a weird vehicle she had seen only once before, and it had almost killed her. "Actually, I've changed my mind. Can you let me out please?"

"Listen, I really don't think that would be a good idea. You should really file a report about what happened to you, and maybe see a psychiatrist. Many rape and attempted rape victims suffer severe psychological trauma."

Lyra had no idea what he was talking about. She tried to stay calm, and quickly clenched her fists and then relaxed them. Keeping her voice even, she politely demanded, "Please let me out now."

He kept on talking to her, but she was not listening. Her eyes darted around, trying to think of a way to escape. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pan, slipping through the bars separating the front and back seat.

Pan attacked. The man screamed, slashing blindly at the air around him. Lyra, at this point panicky and unable to hide it, said, "He will stop attacking you when you let us go. Let us out right now. We don't want to hurt you, but we will if necessary. Pan, stop for a second."

"Wait, you're doing this to me? How… I'm sorry m'aam, but attacking an officer is a federal offense. I'm going to have to take you in now."

Pan started scratching at the man's face again, but Lyra wasn't able to talk anymore. She had begun sobbing uncontrollably. Talking to Pan, and not caring if the man heard, she hiccupped through sobs, "Pan, how could it go so wrong? How can Will be engaged? I almost wish I had never come here, because now we're stuck. Serafina isn't coming back for two years. I just want to go home and pretend none of this never happened?"

Pan stopped attacking, and slided back between the bars, realizing that at the moment, he was needed more to comfort Lyra. She squeezed Pan, and buried her face in Pan's fur, her words now completely muffled.

After about thirty minutes, she was calmed down enough to realize they were moving. She asked the man, "Where are you taking me?"

"Look, I really don't want to do this, but you attacked me, and I have to report it. You can plead innocence, and will definitely get off, since obviously you've been through something, even if you don't want to talk about it. I'll even testify for you, and tell them that when I found you, your shirt was half ripped off and you were crying uncontrollably in an alley. They can make their own assumptions about what happened. Again, I'm really sorry you have to be put through all this but I can't not report this, I mean I'm a cop I…"

The man trailed off when he realized Lyra was just staring at him blankly in the rear-view mirror. He met her eyes. "What's your name?" Lyra asked.

"Officer Quell…Nick. What's yours?"

"Lyra Silvertongue." She didn't know why she used her real name, but she felt compelled to tell the truth, her, Lyra Silvertongue, the queen of lies.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Most of these characters are Philip Pullmans and all of them revolve around his story.

**------------**

Olivia threw her arms around Will's neck. "Go away," she sobbed onto his neck.

Will gently moved her arms, so he could sit next to her on the bench. "Olivia, I know you're mad at me, but please let me explain." Will was still extremely worried about Lyra, but he couldn't just leave his (ex?) fiancé crying on a bench. Olivia was his best friend.

Olivia blew snot all over his neck, and continued to cry. "Will, please, I can't be mad at you when you look at me like that, and I really, really need to be mad at you right now."

Gently, he gave Olivia a Kleenex. Speaking softly, he said, "Look Livi, let's get you home, okay? And then I promise I will leave you alone for the night, if you want."

Olivia stood up, punched Will in the chest a couple of times, and then threw her arms around him once again. He held her, perfectly still, until she stopped crying. She tipped her tear-stained face up to look Will in the eye, asking, "She's gone?"

"Yes," Will said. Olivia, satisfied, put her head on Will's shoulder as they started to walk home. She didn't notice that Will's eyes had a glassy sheen to them, as if he was about to cry.

**------------**

The vehicle containing Lyra arrived at a building called "Robertson Police Station." The strange man in the front seat turned around to look at Lyra. She pressed herself as far back into the seat as possible, desperately squeezing Pan.

He was staring at her, and not blinking. It made Lyra uneasy. Never one to hold her tongue, she asked him point blank, "Why are you staring at me?"

The man, Nick Quell (or at least, that's what he _said_ his name was) turned bright red as he shook himself as though to clear his thoughts. After a minute of stammering, he began to speak, his eyes pointedly fixed on a spot just above Lyra's left shoulder. "Look," he began, "I don't know what happened to you, but obviously you were distressed when your animal attacked me, and anyways, it's not like you ordered him to attack (at least not that I heard), so technically, I, um, wouldn't have to take you in, and I'm off duty in ten minutes, so when I was staring at you, um, and I'm sorry about that, well, I was wondering, er, if you were hungry?" He said all of this very fast.

Lyra was actually quite hungry; it had seemed hours since she had eaten the omelet Will had made for her. Will…her heart gave another burst of sorrow, and her tears started to flow again.

Lyra heard the front door open and close, and then her door opened. With her head still in her hands, openly sobbing, she was pulled from the vehicle. She sank to the odd, hard ground, letting the strange man awkwardly pat her back as she continued to cry for Will.

She felt like her heart was snapped in two, her lungs were collapsing, and she just could not breathe anymore. She gasped desperately for air, squeaking in the attempt to force oxygen into her system.

She tried to stop crying, but the harder she tried to contain her sobs, the louder and more frequent they became. She had no right to be upset: she had told Will to find someone else. That's true, said a small voice in her head, but she didn't mean it; and furthermore, he shouldn't have kissed her if he loved somebody else.

_He loved somebody else, and no longer loved her_. With a pang, her sobs subsided, out of shock as realization set in.

She wiped her face with her t-shirt, not caring how she looked, and released Pan from the tight grip of her hands. She lifted her head, feeling light-headed from so much crying. For the first time since leaving the vehicle, she looked around at her surroundings, and realized that she had attracted quite a crowd: at least nine people were crowded around her, all wearing the same blue uniform as Nick Quell.

She then turned to Nick Quell, who was still patting her back, seemingly unaware of his colleagues' looks of concern. He smiled at her, and stood up, helping her to her feet.

He turned to face the surrounding blue-clad men and women, and said something to them, causing them to instantly scatter. Lyra did not care enough to be listening to what he said, but she was surprised to hear the authoritative tone and sureness in his voice.

When they were no longer encircled by Nick Quell's concerned colleagues, he did not, as she had expected, ask her if she was okay. Instead, he leaned forward, and whispered very lightly into her ear, "Come out to dinner with me."

Her ear felt like it was on fire. He was a stranger, and yet, here he was touching her back and practically licking her ear. She knew things were different in Will's world, but surely perfect strangers did not go around whispering in one another's ears!

Nick Quell recognized the flash of embarrassment that flashed across her face, which quickly turned into defiance. He spoke again, but he had lost the confident tone he had used to dispel the crowd and whisper in her ear. "We could talk, uh, about what happened…or, or not. We, uh, could talk about something else, anything else."

Although Lyra was disinclined to go anywhere with this stranger, she was starving, and she knew she would need her strength for the long walk back to Mary's (and the long search to find out how to get there, because she now had not even an inkling of where she was). She certainly did not feel like talking, and if she had any money whatsoever of the kind they used in Will's world, than her reply would have been a resounding "no."

After an internal struggle lasting over three minutes, she knew that she had to have something to eat, and this would be easier than stealing.

She looked up into Nick Quell's face, and nodded her head in agreement. She was afraid to say anything, because she knew if she opened her mouth she would just start crying again.

**------------**

When Will and Olivia arrived back at the apartment, Olivia went straight to sleep. Now, three hours later, she had awoken from her nap and was bombarding Will with questions about Lyra.

Will did not know how to answer. He decided to be as close to the truth as possible. "Look, Liv, I love you, and you're my best friend, and nothing will ever change that." He took a deep breath, stalling, trying to think of the right words.

"Lyra, the woman you saw me with, is an old friend. Well, actually more than an old friend…" Olivia looked as if she was on the brink of another melt down. "Livi, please don't start crying again, please-"

His words were cut short by Olivia screaming at him. "Oh, so she's an old girlfriend who just happened to stop by, and you decided to make out with her, even though you're engaged?! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! Your excuse is that she's an old girlfriend? Well, Will, let me tell you, just because you used to make out with her on a regular basis doesn't mean you can now. It doesn't change the fact that it's cheating! Furthermore, I doubt this is a one-time occurrence, because what are the odds that I would catch you cheating the first time it happened? I probably walked in on a weekly sexcapade date. So don't lie to me, Will, don't make excuses, just tell me why. Why did you feel the need to cheat on me? Am I not good enough in bed for you? You always seem reluctant to have sex, so I guess I should have known…" At this, she crumpled to the floor, face buried in her hands, sobbing once again.

Will felt awful for making Olivia feel that way. He sat down next to her, and rubbed her back. When her sobs had calmed a bit, he started to explain again.

"Look, Liv, I know, there's no excuse for what I did, but I just want to make you see how I lost control. Lyra and I---we went through some rough stuff together. She was there when my mom was going crazy, and she's the only person I confided in. It was us against the world, and at first we were just really good friends, but then we realized, we loved each other so completely and fully and…what we felt can't be put into words." Tears were now trickling down Will's face at the thought of Lyra, but Olivia did not notice. Will wasn't even sure if she was listening. "But then…Lyra and I were forbidden to see each other, and her parents moved far away, taking Lyra with them. We couldn't write, couldn't email, nothing, because I didn't know where Lyra had moved to, and her parents kept a close watch on her." The lie came to Will surprisingly easily.

"Before she left, she told me that if anything happened to her, I should try to find someone else to love, and not to compare everyone else to her. We also agreed that every year at noon on Midsummer's Day, we would sit alone for an hour, and just think about one another. I've never dishonored this request. Liv, when I said I loved you, I wasn't lying, but it's a platonic way, and you have to understand this—for me, it's always been Lyra. There's no room for me to love anyone else romantically, because every inch of my soul available is already in love with her. When she knocked on my door today, it was like something out of a dream, and I know we should have waited to tell you, but it didn't seem real, I couldn't, I couldn't help myself…I am so, so sorry…You're still my best friend."

Olivia finally looked up at Will's face. "So you've never loved me?" she asked in a very small voice.

"No, Liv, I've loved you and I still love you and I'll always love you, just not romantically." Will could see the hurt in her face as he said these words.

"But I'm just a friend to you. Why did you ask me to marry you? Why did you date me for six years, Will? Why? Why?" Olivia's voice was shaky and her face contorted, as if she was trying not to cry.

Before Will could answer, Olivia gave a shuddering sob. "I think---I think my heart is breaking." She clutched at her chest and leaned over again.

Will was horrified at the pain Olivia was obviously in. He had never thought that she might feel about him the way he felt about Lyra. He scooped her up in his arms and tucked her in bed, rubbing her back until she fell asleep. He still needed to find Lyra, and he was terribly aware of the dangers she could encounter in his world, but Livi needed him, and he couldn't just leave her.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Most of these characters are Philip Pullmans and all of them revolve around his story. Also, it's been two years since I've reread the books, so if details are off SORRY!

**------------**

Nick and Lyra were at a restaurant called Cicero's. Lyra was examining the menu very carefully, which has things they had in Lyra's world, like pasta and salad, but there was also things that she couldn't figure out. What was pizza? Apparently it always had provel cheese on it, but then you could pick from a wide variety of flavors. What could taste good with both fruit and cheese, vegetables and meat on it?

She scrunched up her face trying to decide. She was very curious about this pizza business, but she was also starving. What if she didn't like pizza? Then she would have to revert to her former plan of stealing, and sitting through this dinner with Nick Quell would have been for nothing.

He kept glancing at her and smiling. Her head was down, so maybe he thought that she couldn't see him, but it was hard to miss out of the corner of her eye. She wished he would stop.

He looked at her again, and she decided to say something to him since she was fairly certain she could speak now without dissolving into tears. She raised her head and looked at him dully, and he smiled tentatively at her. "Could you stop that please? I feel like an animal at the zoo."

He blinked, unsure of how to respond. Lyra lifted one corner of her mouth up in a smile, just to let him know that she wasn't angry, and then went back to reading her menu. Just as he began to stammer out an explanation, Lyra said, "Do you think you could explain to me what pizza is?" Then, realizing she had interrupted him, she added, "Sorry, go ahead."

His brow wrinkled in confusion. "You've never had pizza?" he said slowly, almost to himself. When Lyra shook her head no, his eyes widened in shock. "Well, you have to try it then. Did you grow up in a commune or something?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." If pizza was as commonplace as he made it seem, maybe she should admit to living on a commune or whatever it was. However, it seemed foolish to lie about something that she didn't know anything about. Lying was all about the details.

"I mean, where did you live that you never experienced pizza? It's pretty unavoidable."

She pursed her lips together, trying to look displeased. "Actually, I did grow up on a commune, but I don't like to talk about it. So, let's return to the subject of what exactly pizza is."

"Oh," Nick said, his face falling. But then it was as if he couldn't contain it any longer, and a huge grin spread across his face. "You're in for a treat."

****

Olivia was still sleeping. She was on her second nap of the day, but there was something about crying and screaming and heartbreak that just drained all of the energy out of a person.

Will had crept out of her room only when he was absolutely positive that she was asleep. He didn't want to make it seem like he was leaving her for Lyra, but he was seriously worried about her whereabouts.

He was pacing around the living room, dialing Mary's number over and over again. He switched between her work and home numbers, determined to keep calling until she answered. He couldn't leave Olivia right now, but somebody needed to be out looking for Lyra.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Mary answered her phone. "Mary, where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!"

"Will?" Mary asked.

"Of course."

"I was wondering when you'd call," she said calmly.

"She's there?" Will said in surprise, breathing a huge sigh of relief. If she was with Mary, she was safe.

"What? No, I sent her over this morning. I thought you were calling to tell me why she's here."

Will sank to the couch, his head in his hands. "Lyra ran out sometime this afternoon and I can't go after her. I'm so worried about her, Mary; you know how she is, what she's from. There's so much about our world that she doesn't understand. She could be hurt so easily." For not the first time that day, Will began to cry.

"Listen, Will. I'll go out and look for her. Do you have any ideas about where she might have gone?"

"No. I mean, you could try the bench again, and maybe movie theaters? I took her the last time she was here and she really enjoyed it." He was struggling to keep his breathing even.

"Okay, that's where I'll start. I'll call you if I find anything."

"Thanks, Mary," Will said, hanging up.

He couldn't just sit here and do nothing. Mary was looking for Lyra, sure, but this was a big city; there were an innumerable amount of places that she could be. He would get take-out. Olivia would be hungry when she woke up, he reasoned, and if he happened to keep his eyes peeled for Lyra while he was out, well then so be it.

****

Lyra wouldn't have thought it possible that something could taste this good. If she thought omelets were out-of-this-world delicious, then pizza was in a whole different galaxy. "This is so good," she said, for about the fifth time.

Nick was already done eating. "For such a thin girl, you sure can pack it in," he laughed.

Lyra reached for the last slice, cheese dripping down her chin. "It's like pasta on top of bread, but without the noodles. Mushroom, red sauce, cheese…it makes sense why it tastes good. But then the pineapple and ham…that's not something you would have on pasta, and yet, it is indescribably delicious."

It was starting to hit Lyra's stomach that she had eater six pieces of pizza. "Ugh, I'm so full," she said, as she took another bite.

Nick laughed yet again. Lyra wasn't trying to be funny, and under different circumstances would have been irritated. But the pizza was just so good that Lyra didn't even care that he was laughing at her. "Why are you still eating if you're full?" Nick asked.

Mouth full, Lyra said, "Have you not listened to a word I've said? This is probably the best food I've ever tasted. It's even better than omelets and beans!"

Omelets and beans. Will. She had pushed him to the back of her mind for the past couple of hours, but in a rush her mind was flooded with images of the first time they had met. She had loved him even then, although she didn't think he had loved her quite as quickly. He had shown her new things, helped her with her quest…and now, he loved somebody else.

She put her pizza down on her plate. "I'm done," she said softly. She had been doing so well, but all of a sudden she felt on the verge of tears, again.

This wasn't her. She didn't want to be that heartbroken girl who weeps in every corner. She clenched her teeth together, resolved that she would not cry again tonight. She focused on her breathing, deep breath in, WOOO, deep breath out, WOOO.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked, catching the sudden shift in her mood. When she didn't answer, he leaned across the table, touching her cheek.

Instantly, she drew back from his touch. He grabbed his hand back quickly, cheeks blushing red as he mumbled, "Sorry. You had sauce on your cheek." Lyra grabbed a napkin and wiped her cheek until it was raw.

"Can I take you home?" Nick asked, and she nodded gratefully.

****

Will wanted to go someplace a little out of the way. It would mean being out of the house longer, and he would have a better chance of finding Lyra. He decided to go to Cicero's, an Italian place about twenty minutes from his apartment.

He kept his eyes peeled the whole way there, but saw no sign of her. Lyra's hair was a unique shade of golden brown that he would recognize anywhere, so there weren't even any close calls.

When he arrived at Cicero's, a police car was there. He hoped everything was alright. He parked by the side entrance, like he always did, and went in warily.

Everything seemed normal. People were laughing and having a good time, and it smelled wonderful. He was overly worrisome.

He went to put in his order, and who should be in front of him but the policeman, paying his bill. Will wanted to laugh at himself. He was so paranoid. Here he was, thinking something ominous was going down at Cicero's, when really the cop was just getting something to eat. He probably got sick of donuts all of the time.

Will put in his order for a large pepperoni pizza and then sat down to wait for it to be ready. On second thought, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to look around the restaurant for Lyra while he was here anyway, but he seriously doubted he would find her there.

****

Lyra waited in the car while Nick paid. She hadn't really thought of where she would tell him to bring her. It was too late for Mary to still be at the lab, and she didn't know where she lived. The only other place she knew was Will's apartment.

She sighed. She supposed she would have to return to that place, but she wouldn't stay for long. She just needed Will to tell her where Mary lived, so that she could stay with her. It would be painful and awkward, but really had no other choice.

Nick slid into the car, surprising her. She hadn't even noticed he was there. "Where to?" he asked, and she gave him the directions to Will's apartment.

They drove in silence the whole way there, except for Nick occasionally asking her to remind him of the directions. When they arrived, Nick parked the car.

"Well, this is it," Nick said. Lyra simply nodded her head, and moved to get out of the car.

"Wait," he said, and Lyra stopped. "Can I see you again?"

"Listen, I'm not from around here…"

"No kidding," Nick breathed.

"…and I don't know if I'll be staying much longer. But thank you so much for dinner." He grabbed her arm before she could get out of the car again, writing something on her arm. Had they not invented paper in Will's world?

"If you change your mind, Lyra Silvertongue, call me. You have my number," he said nodding at her arm.

This was all very strange. Lyra smiled slightly and then stepped out of the car, preparing herself to face Will again, knowing that he no longer loved her. It would be hard, but she could do it. She was Lyra Silvertongue; she could do anything.


End file.
